‘Every Night, I Dream of Riding a Unicorn’: Swords’n’Sorcery Heavy Metal Band Castle Rat

Although numerous rockers have drawn from high fantasy, only a handful have truly lived the mythical existence. Sure, they could decorate their album covers with creatures, beasts, chained damsels and brawny barbarians, but did a member ever been forced to find a misplaced unicorn horn from a wintry landscape in the heart of winter? Has anyone taken the time peering in the rear of a tour bus, repairing their own chainmail?

Living the Fantasy

Created in 2019, the Brooklyn-based Castle Rat have had to face such situations and others as they live out their heroic dreams. From heraldic, memorable anthems to eye-popping concerts, costume design, visuals and album art, they’re not just a rock act as a complete sensory journey.

“It wasn’t planned to be a costumed concept band,” states singer, guitarist, sword-carrier and creative overlord Riley Pinkerton as the group’s vehicle speeds from a sold-out gig in a German city to another in Aschaffenburg – they’re also doing multiple performances in the UK now. “Initially, we performed twice and received an offer on a spooky event, where I chose at the final moment to wear a costume. The entire setup was super-DIY, but we had a blast and the energy was electric. I realized, ‘How about if we could have so much excitement at every show?’”

Development of Castle Rat

Since then, the ensemble – which features Pinkerton as the “Rodent Monarch” alongside a plague doctor (bassist), haughty vampire (six-string player) and secretive shaman (rhythm keeper) – never turned back. The new record, the follow-up record, conjures visions of famous rock groups collaborating to battle their way through a Frank Frazetta fantasy world – a heroic opus that sets them on the edge of greater success.

The release was a initial step for Pinkerton in that she invited input to her fellow members. “That contributed to a much better project,” she says of the collaborative process. “I struggled at first – There was a sense of a particular degree of satisfaction as a female in music doing everything solo. There have been numerous occasions where I finished performing and a person will say, ‘The other members compose cool melodies!’ and I think, ‘Listen – I composed all that.’”

Artistic Expression and Vision

With their growing popularity has increased, so has the scale of their production design. “My philosophy is always that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing,” Pinkerton smiles. At first, she had been on path for a art school education before pulling back at the prospect of financial burden. “What’s enjoyable about Castle Rat is there’s various avenues to demonstrate artistry,” she says. “Whether it’s creating face coverings, attire creation, mastering post-production clips … it’s all stuff I have no experience with, but it’s enjoyable to discover on the fly.”

Even though building the band’s intricate lore (“The team is pushing me to write it down because it’s all in here,” Riley says, tapping her head) and stitching garments were insufficient, the singer self-educated how to create armor – a difficult task, though she admittedly delegated her all-new reptilian-inspired outfit to a professional in the city. “It seems like actual armour,” she grins.

Crowd Engagement and Difficulties

As for audiences? They embraced the stage blood, toy blades and papier-mache rat skulls with similar excitement as the band. “We played a concert in Detroit and it seemed like a medieval event,” recalls Riley with affection. “All attendees was in capes, sheepskin, chainmail.”

This isn’t to say, nevertheless, that life on the road as mythical wanderers has been smooth. “Everything is always failing and ends up repaired with tape,” Riley says. “Moreover I get endless ideas as to how I envision the aesthetics, but we are on the move in a vehicle with restricted capacity. It’s a fascinating test to give the sense like a mythic tale, then compress it into a small space.”

We’ve encountered other logistical problems that didn’t affect mythic characters. “We did have an ‘oh shit’ moment when we performed at SonicBlast festival in Portugal and my suitcase – which had my weapon in it – went missing,” says Riley. “This became a worst-case scenario, because we don’t have an backup plan of the show where I lack a weapon.”

Future Ambitions

Like a true warrior queen, Riley is eager about the future. “I want to go to the top – we should play large venues,” she says. “The main aspect that’s really important to me is preserving the DIY aesthetic, ensuring everything is crafted by us. It’s a component I want to stay authentic to, no matter what we grow into. Additionally, I desire to ride out on a magical horse at all performances. Remember how some artists ride bikes on stage? Exactly that, but using a unicorn.”